Object Journeys: Community co-production of collections knowledge and displays at a national museum

The School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies and Centre for Critical Studies in Museum, Galleries and Heritage, University of Leeds, in partnership with the British Museum, invites applications from suitably qualified UK/EU candidates for a full-time 3-year Collaborative Doctoral Award, funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), to conduct research on the theme: Object Journeys: Community co-production of collections knowledge and display at a national museum.

This PhD project will examine how national museums might best develop object interpretation and displays in collaboration with local and diverse communities. It will run alongside a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)-funded programme, Object Journeys, led by the Community Partnerships team at the British Museum 2015-2018. Object Journeys is a programme exploring various forms of community collaboration. Individuals from diverse local communities will be supported to engage with museum collections and co-curate object-focused displays and interventions. The programme is committed to developing and testing different participatory methodologies in varied museum-settings, and sharing the resulting knowledge across the museum’s sector.

The Collaborative Doctoral Award student will use participatory and action research approaches to unpack and explore the conditions, processes, and impact of co-production, shaped by their own experience and interests.

The Studentship will start on 1st October 2015. For further details of the award, the research project and procedures for applying, please click here.

The deadline for applications is 12 noon on Friday 17 April 2015.